Tell Me
by marymin
Summary: Mary wants to know what school was like. Kano's happy to help. gift for gureiyzu


As Mary paged through the small book, a tiny frown grew on her face and her forehead wrinkled. She went back a few pages, squinting down at the words. The door opened and Kano walked in, and Mary immediately clapped the book shut, slipping it into a pocket of her apron. The flurry of motion caught Kano's interest, and he was at her side in a flash, giving her his most disarming grin.

"Whatcha got there, Mary? Hiding something?" Kano loved secrets, and he could never have enough, so he was always after everyone else's. She balled her hands into fists, shaking her head.

"It's nothing!" If her ears were a bit pink, he didn't get a chance to mention it. "Anyway, I've got a question for you. Answer honestly, okay?"

It might be a pipe dream, for him to answer a question honestly, but he made a finger-gun and pointed at her, replying, "Ask away!"

Mary steeled her courage, biting her lip before blurting out, "What was school like?"

Kano began to laugh. "What? Where did that come from?" He wiped a stray tear from his eye. "That was forever ago, so it's kind of a blur. We haven't gone to school in what, four years? Five?" He didn't seem inclined to do the math.

"Still! Try to remember?" There was curiosity in her voice, and Kano peered closer at her, wondering what had her so fired up.

"Alright, alright. Hm, let's see." He tapped his chin for a moment, gathering his memories, then spread his hands wide in the gesture of someone about to tell a story. "I was very popular, with the girls especially. They thought I was hy-ster-i-cal!" He punctuated each syllable with a swish of his finger.

Mary nodded, committing it all to memory. "And the boys?"

He gave a dry chuckle. "Significantly less popular. Most of the boys in our class learned way early on not to, ah, 'mess with' any of us. They're not as resilient as I am, if you take my meaning."

At first she didn't, but then she realized. "Kido beat them up?"

"So to speak. Giving up after just one punch— how pathetic, right?" It was apparently a good memory, because he was smiling, but Mary wasn't sure how much that counted for with him anyway.

"Did you have friends like, older than you maybe? Or younger?" This was important, she had learned.

"Hm? Nah, not really—"

As he spoke Kido appeared in the doorway. "What lies is he filling your head with now?"

Mary jumped as if guilty, but Kano didn't break stride. "I'm telling her about school. Care to listen in?" He looked over his shoulder, beckoning an invitation.

The taller girl cleared her throat, cocking her eyebrows dubiously. "You? I bet not a single word of whatever you said was true." Kano shrugged, the words 'guilty as charged' all but written across his face. "Look," she continued, switching her focus to Mary, "school was kind of a drag. You're not missing out on anything, okay?"

Kano gasped in mock horror, winding an arm around Mary's slim shoulders. "That's right! Mary-chan's never been to school, no wonder she was asking me about it!"

"That's not it!" Mary protested, wriggling out of his grasp, her cheeks bright red. She turned to storm away, and bumped into someone in the doorway, ricocheting back and banging into the wall.

"Hey, watch out! …Mary, are you okay?"

She blinked, rubbing her elbow, sore from the impact. Seto was frowning at them from the door, at her flushed face and at Kano cackling like a hyena behind her.

"Ask Seto about school!" Kano suggested, clapping her on the back. She glared at him.

"School?" The frown lines on Seto's forehead deepened, and he looked confused. "Didn't I just buy you that book? Is that why you're asking?"

"Ah! A new plot development!" Kano clapped his hands, putting two and two together, and before Mary knew it, he was reaching into the pocket of her dress, pulling out the small book. The cover illustration was two boys in school uniforms, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes.

"Give that back!" Mary snatched the book away, her entire face brick red, but Kano didn't stop laughing for over an hour.


End file.
